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Doodle Bugs! News:
Top States for Child Care Standards
Last week the National Association for Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies (NACCRRA), a Child Care Information Exchange Strategic Partner, unveiled its latest publication, We Can Do Better: NACCRRA's Ranking of State Child Care Center Standards and Oversight. This insightful publication rated the licensing standards and enforcement efforts of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and centers operated by the Department of Defense, and then ranked them. Great News!! - New York was the top state (and second only to the Department of Defense).
- Department of Defense
- New York
- Illinois
- Washington
- Maryland
- Oklahoma
- Tennessee
- Michigan
- North Dakota
- Vermont (tie)
- Minnesota (tie)
To secure this full report, go to www.naccrra.org.
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Web Cams For Parent Viewing
Doodle Bugs! recently installed WatchMeGrow, a streaming video internet service, at each of our centers. With WatchMeGrow, parents can log into a password protected website and view their child’s day at any time.
WatchMeGrow is just one more example of how Doodle Bugs! is at the forefront of the child care industry.
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UPK Now Offered at Three Doodle Bugs! Centers
Doodle Bugs! is proud to announce our collaboration with the Orchard Park, Williamsville and Webster school districts. We presently provide Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) classes at our Orchard Park, East Amherst and Webster locations. UPK classes are 2.5 hour sessions that meet 5 days per week and are free of charge to eligible 4-year-old students; placements are determined via a school district lottery. Doodle Bugs! is also happy to offer wrap-around (before/after) care for UPK students, at an additional fee. Children who are placed at other locations for UPK sessions are also welcome to enroll in wrap-around programs at Doodle Bugs! – we may even be able to provide transportation via the Doodle Bus. Additional information about UPK and wrap-around programs is available from Customer.Service@doodlebugs.com.
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Doodle Bugs! Provides School Age Transportation
 Did you know that Doodle Bugs! provides transportation to/from many local elementary schools? Hopping on the Doodle Bus allows your school age child to participate in our outstanding before/after school programs, and offers you reassurance that your child is being cared for in a safe, supervised and FUN environment. Most district busses will also designate our centers as pick up or drop off points – often, it’s as simple as a phone call to the disctrict bus garage! Our center directors will be happy to help you navigate your options for reliable school age care; call the center nearest you today, or email customer.service@doodlebugs.com for more information.
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Clarence Under Almost Completed
Clarence, NY - We’re almost finished with our beautiful, state-of-the-art center on Sheridan Drive. Construction will be completed in time for a January 2010 opening. Please continue to check back for progress updates.
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Community Connections:
Doodle Bugs! Children’s Foundation & other charitable efforts
Recognizing that a child care center's responsibility to the community extends beyond the children enrolled, Doodle Bugs! recently created the Children's Foundation to benefit a variety of local charities.
This fundraising initiative is designed to provide the Buffalo and Rochester families and businesses with opportunities to support the most valuable, and most vulnerable, members of their communities-- young children.
Through the sale of exclusive 'doodle merchandise' and a variety of local events, the Doodle Bugs! Children's Foundation will support several local children's charities. All proceeds from Buffalo events are donated to Buffalo charities, while all Rochester proceeds are donated in Rochester.
Anthony Insinna, Company President, remarks: “As our company grows, we realize that our capacity to make a difference has grown substantially; we have the potential to help local families and businesses connect in a common cause - supporting the children of our community.”
The Foundation’s current initiative involves a partnership with Golisano’s Children’s Hospital in Rochester to raise funds to purchase a new, specialized incubator - called the ‘Giraffe’ - for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Doodle Bugs! will raise the $36,000 purchase price through t-shirt sales and other scheduled fundraisers; additional information is available online at www.doodlebugsfoundation.org.
In a effort to encourage the spirit of generosity and kindness year-round, each Doodle Bugs! location participates in a series of smaller (but equally meaningful!) charitable efforts.
Anna Insinna Zavatti, Director of Education, notes that these events, “whether we are making books and games for Children’s Hospital, creating art for Meals on Wheels, or collecting mittens for needy families, are all opportunities for children to experience the simple joy of charity, while learning about their world in a meaningful way.”
Most recently, all Doodle Bugs! locations sponsored a Food Drive to benefit the City Mission. The response was overwhelmingly positive, especially at the East Amherst location.
Led by center director Kelly Kronbeck, the East Amherst team engaged parents, staff and children in an additional cooperative fundraising effort to benefit the Buffalo City Mission/Cornerstone Manor.
Through a variety of creative fundraisers, including bake sales, Laps for Love and classroom contests, the center provided food clothing and holiday gifts for 25 local children.
Purchase a T-shirt: - Link To: Doodle Bugs! Childrens Foundation
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Redesigned Prototype Facility
Together with Lauer Manguso and Associates Architects, we’ve redesigned our latest prototype child care center. Changes include a newly designed building exterior, which provides a residential appearance; an additional toddler room, which increases capacity to 176 children; a new overhead toy-train in the lobby; and upgraded interior finishes. As with each of our existing facilities, our new prototype will prove to be at the forefront of the child care industry.
Other notable features included in this 11,300-square-foot prototype facility include:
- Spacious classrooms professionally designed and equipped by Community Playthings, a national child care furniture manufacturing company.
- Large indoor playroom with a two-story play village and beautiful decor.
- Computer lab with high speed internet access and computers specifically designed for children.
- Parent’s Lounge for moms or dads to sit back and relax.
- Large outdoor playground, featuring Little Tykes commercial playground equipment, a trike path and separate toddler play areas.
- Security system which incorporates biometric access control for a safe, secure environment.
- Web-Cam with over 30 video cameras located throughout the center.
- Heating and cooling system that provides air filtration to eliminate airborne germs.
These are just a few of the unique features which create our high-quality child care environment...a visit to the center will provide much more insight into the quality of the materials and overall design.
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BioMetric Security:
Doodle Bugs! is First With SafePass System
 Doodle Bugs! is proud to announce that we have successfully installed and tested the industry’s first fully integrated biometric access control system. SafePass was installed at our West Amherst facility for beta testing in 2005. With two years of testing behind us, the system has proven to be a valuable resource in providing a secure environment for our enrolled children. Parents and authorized visitors gain entrance into the center through the use of a fingerprint scanner. Due to the success of the system, we plan on installing the biometric readers at each of our other centers.
We are thrilled that SafePass chose Doodle Bugs! to be the beta test site. This is just one more example of how Doodle Bugs! is in the forefront of the child care industry.
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